Agustina Pontesta
18-09-2022, BERRIA.
Abstract:
Lately, there have been frequent attacks against ikastolak (the definition of ikastola, here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ikastola) in the Basque media from certain sectors that defend the Basque public school. In response to these attacks, the author of this article reminds us that the ikastolas were born as a popular initiative in the midst of Franco’s dictatorship to protect the Basque language and culture and to transmit them in the school. In the face of a foreign model of education, which prohibited the Basque language and culture, the ikastolas grew exponentially during the Franco dictatorship, becoming a successful educational model. Finally, the author affirms that today ikastolas are still necessary, since the transmission of the Basque language, culture and identity in public Basque schools is still not guaranteed.
